Hi, I’m Karlijn, a creative researcher and designer from the Netherlands. With a Bachelor degree in Product Design and my fascination with life sciences and natural phenomena, I am working on the intersection of design, science, nature and technology. To deepen and accelerate research, spark innovative discoveries, and tackle challenging ideas, I am always seeking interdisciplinary collaborations.

How can we be inspired by nature to approach materials and the way we fabricate objects in a radically different way?

A question that plays a significant role in my work. In my work, I use natural processes and phenomena as tools and sources of inspiration. I want to reimagine materials and change the way we create objects. What if we replace traditional production with biological fabrication? Can new manufacturing technologies use not just materials from the environment, but also the environment itself? Imagine if we can grow products with materials sourced from local areas. In a time in which we are increasingly searching for ways to eliminate waste and resource depletion, I am convinced that this shift in thinking is becoming even more critical.

To explore new ways of manufacturing, my curiosity towards natural materials and processes plays a significant role. It is this curiosity that inspires me to conduct experiment-based research to discover the characteristics of a material, the processes and phases it undertakes, and how its features may be transformed and used to find its potential.

My research project Industry by Nature is an example of this: it consists of manipulating the growth of two natural resources, algae and salt, to induce them to adopt certain shapes. Another example is my project 3D Printing Salt, where I use the properties of salt to develop new production processes for ceramics and plastics, among other materials

This by curiosity-driven research is focused on rethinking the way we handle materials and create objects, aiming to use renewable resources like the sea and sunlight.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you wish to suggest a collaboration, project or otherwise.